World War II veteran Wayne Brown, second from right, helps lead the way during a pass in review Aug. 17, 2017, at Founders Field as part of Iron Horse Week festivities commemorating the 4th Infantry Division’s 100th anniversary. Brown died Dec. 28, 2017, at the age of 94. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Lance Pounds)
By Maj. Richard Barker
2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office,
4th Infantry Division
FORT CARSON, Colo. — World War II veteran Wayne Brown, a longtime friend and contributor to the 4th Infantry Division, died peacefully Dec. 28, 2017, at the age of 94 in his Mesa, Arizona, winter home.
With a chest full of medals including three Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars and the Combat Infantryman Badge, Brown is a war hero who served with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment.
He wrote the following excerpt in Robert O. Babcock’s book “War Stories Volume II: Paris to VE Day,” describing his day leading up to the Battle of the Bulge: “I was in a convalescent hospital … helping the nurses decorate the tent hospital for Christmas, which we assumed would include us. On Dec. 24, a group of doctors came through the tent asking every man that could stand to do so. A doctor looked at my chart, and I told him that I still had stitches, which he quickly removed and said, ‘Back to active duty.’ That afternoon, we were loaded on ‘forty and eight’ railroad cars and sent back to our units in Luxembourg and Belgium.”
Brown was wounded three times during World War II while fighting in several historical battles including the Normandy Campaign, the Hürtgen Forest and the Battle of the Bulge.
World War II veteran Wayne Brown
“Staff Sgt. Wayne Brown represents the very best of the ‘Greatest Generation,’ and his legacy of distinguished service lives on to this day,” said Lt. Col. Kirby Dennis, commander of the 2nd Bn., 12th Inf. Reg., 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div., the unit Brown served with in World War II.
It was after military service, perhaps, where Brown’s lifetime service to country shined brightest. Brown helped service members and veterans as a lifetime member of the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, the Military Order of the Purple Heart and the Hawkeye Chapter of the Battle of the Bulge. Most notably, Brown was active in the 4th Infantry Division Association for which he acted as national treasurer for 21 years and attended annual reunions for more than 50 years.
“I have a new-found respect for how important the community created by veteran’s organizations can be for former and retired Soldiers,” said Capt. Matthew VanDyck, commander, Company D, 2nd Bn., 12th Inf. Reg., 2nd IBCT. “In addition to his close family and friends, Mr. Brown’s participation in numerous veterans’ organizations seemed to have provided a way to maintain contact with others who had lived similar experiences and a shared sense of belonging long after his time on active duty.”
In honor of Brown’s service to 2nd Bn., 12th Inf. Reg., VanDyck and Staff Sgt. Alex Strauss with Company A, 2nd Bn., 12th Inf. Reg., traveled to Marshalltown, Iowa, to attend Brown’s funeral and pay respects to his family Jan. 12, 2018.
“When Mr. Brown passed, I was asked if I would represent the 4th ID at the funeral in Marshalltown, Iowa, as a way of showing the division’s gratitude for all of Mr. Brown’s years of service in both war and peacetime,” said VanDyck. “What has left the biggest impact on me was how proud Mr. Brown was of his time in the 4th ID, as well as how much of an impact he left on those around him.”
As VanDyck reflects on the past, he and his Soldiers have their eyes fixed on the future as his unit prepares to deploy as part of the 2nd IBCT.
“As today’s 2-12 Infantry Soldiers prepare for another combat deployment to Afghanistan, Wayne Brown’s story provides inspiration and motivation to all who call themselves a ‘Lethal Warrior,’” said Dennis. “On behalf of all who served and continue to serve in the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, I say thank you to Staff Sgt. Wayne Brown for his lifetime of distinguished service — both in and out of uniform.”
Brown is survived by three children. He is also survived by three grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.